The New Player
by Jazza-44
Summary: Derek and Carly married... shew made a new friend. All seems normal, until fairies turn up on Derek's doorstep...and they have a purpose Dedicated to my devoted follower: TaDOS1905
1. One Who Knows

The New Player

Chapter One – One Who Knows

Tracey still gazed longingly at the soft blue and pink of other fairy's wings, wishing he had wings as well. As happy as he was that he was a tooth fairy, he still felt incomplete and believed that this was due to that fact that he had no real wings.

Head Fairy Godmother watched Tracey on his break, not missing the way he gazed into nothingness and smiled. He thought it was because he wanted wings but, truth be told, he was just lonely. She knew what that felt like. Perhaps it was time to set up 'that' mission…and make him a part of the operation.

Head Fairy Godmother watched Tracey and smiled. Knowing what would happen and how he would feel. But how would the other feel?

Derek chased Tess and Randy around the living room, pretending to be an angry Count Dracula, making the kids laugh and squeal.

"Ah ha!" Derek cried as he scooped Tess up off the floor. "I have you now!"

Tess squealed and giggled as her mum, Carly, entered the room, grinning at the sight before her. "Having fun, I see." She smirked at Derek.

"Well, yeah," Randy chimed in. "We haven't seen you guys for a while…with you on your 'honeymoon' and all."

"Okay, okay," Carly knew they knew she was just teasing. "I just came in to say that a friend of mine will be coming over shortly and I would like you to be nice to her."

"We will if she does." Randy replied.

"She's lovely, I'm sure you'll get on really well." Carly said, and then left the room to make dinner.

"Derek, will mum's friend be nice?" Tess asked sweetly.

"I'm positive." Derek replied. "Any friend of your mum's is bound to be nice."

"What's her name?" Randy asked.

"Um…honey?" Derek called loudly.

"Yeah?"

"What's your friend's name?"

"Leah Gempsey."

"As in, Will Gempsey's only daughter?" Derek asked, shocked that he actually knew this girl.

"Yeah, you know her?" Carly asked as she came back into the living room.

"Yeah, her dad and I go back to before I injured my arm in the big leagues." Derek explained. "Yeah, I've known her since she was real young. She'd be, what? About… twenty by now."

"Twenty one." Carly corrected. "Wow, you know one of my friends."

Derek shrugged his shoulders as the doorbell rang. "That'll be her."

"Oh, honey, can you get the door please? I've got to get dinner out of the oven before it -"

"Yeah, go, I'm all over it." Derek replied, walking to the front foyer and opening the door. As the door swung open, he stopped to look at the young woman who stood before him. It was definitely her. "Hey! Leah, remember me?"

"Oh my gosh," Leah smiled, rushing forward to hug him. "Derek Thompson! You haven't come to see dad in forever. We missed you."

Derek laughed as he escorted her inside. "How have you been? Girl you got tall!"

"Nowhere near as tall as you." Leah replied.

"Leah, come right through!" Carly called from the dining room.

"We're coming honey!" Derek called back in reply. He watched as Leah bounded ahead of him and embraced his new wife in a huge hug. This was going to be an interesting evening.

Derek was halfway down the hall when there was a loud knock at the door. He turned on the spot and looked at the door, cocking an eyebrow. They weren't expecting anyone else… then who was it? He went back to the door and opened it. There was no one there. He walked outside a little way and looked around. Still no one.

Derek turned back to the house and a woman stood in front of him. A woman with wings folding into her back as to be obscured…


	2. A Slight Shock Fact

Taken aback, Derek stepped away from the lady slightly.

"Derek Thompson," the lady said. "You won't remember me, but that's not your fault. This, however, should restore your memory of us."

"Huh?" Derek made an unintelligible noise as the lady before him blue some form of glittery dust in his face. He stared, wide eyed, into space while memories from two years previous filtered themselves back into his consciousness. Derek blinked several times as he refocussed on the lady and now two men standing with her. "Lily? Tracey? Um… Gerry? What are you doing here?"

"Well, it's nice to see you too." Lily folded her arms across her chest.

"Sorry." Derek replied.

"I have a special interest in your wife's young friend." Lily explained. "Might we come in?"

"Ah…I, um…yeah…yeah, sure." Derek didn't want to upset either party involved here. At the same time, he felt as though he didn't have a choice in the matter.

As he walked down the front hallway he called out. "Leah? Where'd you go?"

"With Carly." Leah replied from the kitchen.

"There's… aah, well, there's some people here who would like to see you." Derek explained. "Leah, can you come into the living room please?"

A short silence followed, through which he thought he heard Leah curse under her breath before she answered. "Um…yeah...coming!"

"Quickly!" Derek called, eyeing the look on Lily's face.

The fairies sat on the couches in the living room, their wings concealed as to not arouse suspicion. Lily and Gerry gazing about themselves with restrained curiosity as they waited. Tracey glanced at Derek, then got up and went to talk to him.

"I read you blog, found you on facebook too." Tracey grinned. "Couldn't email you though."

Derek shook his head. "Of course not."

"Rules and all… you know." Tracey added and mock punched Derek's arm. "Still buddy's though, right?"

"Yeah!" Derek's enthusiasm returned. "Fairy spirit met the 'Hammer Brother's'."

Lily interrupted their friendly reunion. "While this is all really touching, we do have business to attend to."

"Oh, right, I'll just…ah…" Derek turned towards the door and yelled. "Leah Gempsey, front and centre!"

"All right, all right! I'm here. God, you sound like my old hockey coach." Leah smirked as she entered the room.

"I am your old hockey coach." Derek folded his arms across his chest and motioned towards Lily with his head.

Leah turned, the smile on her face vanished for a few seconds, then she recomposed herself. Leah looked from Lily to Derek and then to the others, her eyes lingering appreciatively over Tracey for a moment, before returning her gaze to Lily.

"Hello." Leah's smile was smaller now, her eyes flittered towards the door, then to Derek. "What's going on?"

"I, um…Lily? You're better at explaining things." Derek looked at Lily, still awaiting a proper explanation himself as to their presence.

Lily looked at Leah. "You might want to take a seat."

"Oh, I don't think so." Leah replied.

"That wasn't a request." Lily stated, seating herself on one of the lounges.

Leah acquiesced to the demand that she sit, and waited for an explanation. What exactly was going on?

"Leah, do you believe in magic?" Lily asked.

Leah looked at her blankly for a moment, and then it clicked. _'Fairy'_ she thought and looked at each of them in turn. _'Correction…'fairies'.'_ Her mother had been one… her father didn't know. She'd been told by her mum when she was ten. She thought she was normal, like her father, but if these people were here…perhaps she wasn't.

Leah edged back in her seat slightly. "Why?"

"You need to for what I'm about to relate to you so that it will make sense." Lily replied.

"Believed in it my whole life. I still believe in Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy. Although the latter is because he was always around." Leah finished, pointing at Derek.

"And because your mother was one." Gerry smiled a cheeky smile at her.

"Oh, yeah, that too." Leah nodded.

"And so are you." Lily smiled at Leah.

Leah stared. "Uh… that'd be a huge 'No' in that department. I'm as normal as they come."

"And yet," Tracey smirked, looking at a small electronic device in his hand. "You have a magic wand in the inner pocket of the leather jacket you are currently wearing."

Leah glared in his direction. She'd forgotten it was there. She pulled it out from inside her jacket and waved carelessly in front of herself. "You mean this thing." It wasn't intended as a question and Leah eyed Lily carefully as she got up.

"Yes, exactly that." Lily held out her hand for the wand.

Leah put it back into the inner pocket of her jacket. "Oh, hell no. I'm not giving it to you."

"It doesn't exactly belong to you." Gerry stated as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Actually, it does. It has been mine as of the reading of my mother's last will and testament five years ago." Leah crossed her legs and gazed calmly back at Lily.

"Well, actually, since you mother left the fairy business, she didn't have a claim to her wand. Effective of the moment she married a human. That made her a traitor to her own kind." Tracey stated as he looked from Leah to each of the others then down at his feet.

Leah narrowed her eyes at Tracey. No one insulted her family. Not without suffering the consequences. And right now that consequence was her giving him one hell of a beating.

"Don't you dare say a word against my mother!" Leah shouted, getting to her feet and taking a threatening step towards Tracey.

"I think you should calm down Leah." Derek, who'd watched the whole scene unfold, stated. "You don't particularly want to provoke the ones with wands."

Leah turned towards Derek. "I don't believe you! You're siding with them!" Leah shouted at him. "Oh, wait, I get it. You did time with them. Didn't you, Derek? Previous dream killer Derek Thompson did time as a Tooth Fairy! Oh, that's rich!"

"Leah, are you okay?" Carly asked, suddenly entering the living room.

"I'm sorry, Carly. I've got to go." Leah glared at Derek before she bolted from the room followed closely by Carly.

Derek turned to the fairies currently occupying his living room. "See what you did?" He gestured in the direction Leah had just disappeared in. "Never insult her family. Especially not her mother!"

"She won't get far." Lily stated. "We can track her movements."

"Why do you need her Lily?" Derek asked, exasperating each word. "Couldn't you just leave her alone? She's not done anything wrong."

"No, she hasn't. But she is the descendant of a fairy and, as such, needs to fulfil her fairy training and become a tooth fairy. Even if it is only for a short time."

"Lily, you've seen her. She has no wings." Derek used his tiny argument.

Lily shook her head. "She does. And she knows it too. She can fly, Derek. And she can grant others their wishes. There hasn't been a fairy like that for decades. We need her…"

Derek regarded Lily's expression for a short moment, then smirked. "There's something else. There's another reason you're not telling me. What is it?"

Lily sighed. "She's my granddaughter."


	3. Runaway

"So, Andrea', Leah's mum…was a fairy…was your daughter…" Derek pretended to concentrate for a minute and then continued sarcastically. "Of course! That would explain the odd personality, the weird hair, the obsession with frilly pink clothes that she tried and failed to make Leah wear… it all makes sense." He paused for breath. "Oh, wait, no it doesn't! Because none of that happened." He finished, exasperated.

"Oh, would you stop! Please!" Lily frowned.

"Okay, how do you know she's your granddaughter?" Derek asked genially.

"Because I was there the day she was born." Lily explained. "We thought… I thought she was normal…human. That was, until two nights ago, she started, quite successfully to use her mother's wand…and unfolded her wings."

"She was asleep mind you, so she probably doesn't know that part yet." Gerry said and Lily sighed.

"True." Lily amended. "But she is a fairy."

Derek regarded Lily and Gerry for a moment, looked at Tracey, then turned on Lily. "There's something you two know," he pointed at Gerry and Lily. "But haven't told Tracey, or me. Why?"

"Tracey will be told by me when I see fit. No doubt Leah will tell you the second she figures it out." Lily said pointedly.

"Wait…what?" Tracey looked confused, and slightly hurt.

"It's something to do with her, the way he looked at her just now when she left, the way he keeps looking at the door…as if wanting to go after her perhaps? Isn't that right… Tracey?" Derek turned on Tracey now. "What is going on?"

"By the look on his face now, I think he knows what you weren't telling him Lily." Gerry watched Tracey's expression from his place on the sofa. "Do you understand Tracey?"

"Well someone had better!" Derek yelled.

Tracey looked at Gerry and Lily in disbelief. "No…"

Lily and Gerry nodded in unison. "Yes."

"Really?" Tracey asked, a huge grin on his face. Again, the two other fairies nodded. "Wow."

"What?" Derek was quickly becoming frustrated with the lot of them.

Lily turned away from a beaming Tracey, and replied. "Leah is… Tracey's… fairy…" she trailed off.

"What? Explain, someone!" Derek crossed his arms.

"You, as a human, would say, oh what is it again?" Lily searched for the right words. "'Soul mate'. We call them… fairy 'brides'."

Derek smirked at Tracey. "Looks like you got a girl." He then turned to Lily again. "That's not going to be an easy fix 'miss fairy god mother'. She's bloody stubborn, even when she does feel something for someone."

"I know," Lily began. "That's why we brought Tracey with us. The more she sees him, the more she'll want to be with him. It's just how it works."

"How is this a fair system?" Derek argued. "I mean, come on, seriously? This is how you figure out who you're meant to be with?"

"Yes."

"Just fall in love the normal way!" Derek replied, exasperated by how long the conversation was taking. "Meanwhile, somewhere out there is a hurt, pissed off, twenty-one year old girl who's not going to want to see any of you again…ever!"

"She's already recognised Tracey." Gerry suddenly piped up. "She won't stay away for long. She'll come looking for him. If only for curiosity's sake."

"And then she'll not want to leave." Lily finished.


	4. Contemplation

Leah walked on through the dark, each step taking her further away from Derek's house. Frustrated and upset, Leah came to a stop in front of the worn down cement wall that separated the street from the park on the other side. She sighed as she leant against the wall, letting her head fall forward.

Somewhere, a twig snapped, and Leah's head shot up. A cat ran out of the yard across the street and up the tree of the neighbouring house. Leah let out a breath she hadn't even realised she was holding and looked back at the ground, contemplating the events of the night.

Lily and Gerry hadn't persuaded her one bit. She wasn't going to leave her life behind to be a fairy. She liked her life the way it was, fairies be damned. Although, Lily bared a rather striking resemblance to her mother…or was that just her imagination? And then, there was that tall guy. Leah smiled; he was kinda cute, even with the glasses and the goofy grin.

"Missed an opportunity there, Leah." Leah said to herself and gave a half smile.

"Maybe not." An unwelcome, yet familiar, voice came out of the dark to her left.

"Oh, give me a break!" Leah cried as she rounded on Gerry. "How the bloody hell did you find me?"

"You've been steadily dropping fairy dust for about a mile…" Gerry replied matter-of-factly. "You weren't that difficult to find for someone who supposedly didn't want to be found."

"Oh, whatever!" Leah threw her hands in the air in frustration and started to walk away from Gerry. "Leave me alone. The lot of you!"

"Hey, it's your choice. I will say this however," Gerry continued, eyeing her cautiously as she turned to look at him once more. "I think you know, deep down, that you wanted to be found…only, you wanted someone other than myself to find you. Am I right?"

Leah's jaw dropped and, as she fumbled around in her head trying to remember how to close it again, she considered what he was saying. It was true that she wouldn't have minded if Tracey had found her…or walked her home…or stolen a kiss…

Leah quickly banished all thoughts on the matter, resided instead to be mad at Gerry for following her. "How dare you! That is the most outlandish remark I've ever heard!"

"It's true though. You can't deny it. You too defensive for you to be otherwise." Gerry raised one white eyebrow at her curiously. Leah merely glared at him and turned to walk away once more. "Don't fret, little one… he will find you, and then…there'll be no resisting him!"

Gerry continued to call after Leah as she walked ever faster away from him, knowing her thoughts were on Tracey and mingled with curiosity, attraction and fear…


	5. Poking Fun

Leah stared at the picture of her mother sitting on the dresser and sighed. "Oh, I don't know mum… I just don't know."

As usual, the photo of her beloved mother just smiled back at her warmly, as if reassuring her that it would all be okay but was unable to actually tell her so. Leah sighed sadly and turned away from the photo and pulled her laptop towards her. She drummed the keys thoughtlessly for a moment, and then began typing.

Her blog on mythology was world renowned, but that didn't stop Derek from spamming it with requests to talk to him whenever he knew she was upset or in trouble, and today was another classic.

_Leah, I know you check this hourly. Talk to me. Derek._

_Leah, I had no idea they were showing up last night. I didn't even know they existed til she blew that weird magic dust in my face. Please, talk to me… Derek._

_For the love of God. LEAH! Pick up the bloody phone and TALK TO ME! OR THEM! TALK TO SOMEBODY! ANYBODY!_

Leah glared daggers at the Private Message Centre linked to her blog for a long time, reading and re-reading Derek's messages. Each one more frantic than the last. She was about to write him a reply, when her computer made a noise telling her that someone had messaged her on Facebook. Knowing it could only be Derek, she switched the tabs on her browser.

Sure enough, it _was _Derek… and _Tracey…_

Sighing, Leah replied to Derek. _'Derek, I'm fine. We're fine. Just leave it alone for a while, okay? I'm not mad at you. Just, please, give me some space. Thank-you.'_

As soon as she sent her reply, Derek went offline. "Okay," she said to herself. "What does Tracey want?" she continued, opening the message from Tracy.

It read thusly:

'_Now, I know this must be a wee bit of a shock to you Leah, but Lily really does mean well, and we do need you as you're a wish fairy and all…but you didn't know that…I wonder if I should have told you…well, I'm leaving it in here so you do know. You've been kept in the dark long enough I think. But, I really wanted to say that… if, you know, you wanted to hang out and get to know each other… I'd be cool with that. In fact I'd um… _love_ to get to know you, in every possible sense… because… well…this _fairy brides_ thing is kinda old and traditional…and it'll happen anyway. You've seen me now and apparently you won't want to stay away from me, or the others, for very long. So…I dunno, we could start by being Facebook Friends? Maybe? Send us a message some time. I'll be awaiting your reply…patiently _

_Love, Tracey'_

Leah gawked at the screen for a moment as a typhoon of emotions swamped her. Shock at receiving such a message from him, respect for him telling her more than anyone else had bothered to, denial at her already awakening feelings for him, anger at his cockiness…though that was probably unintentional, and _curiosity_.

Frowning ever so slightly, Leah typed her reply.

'_Tracey, thank-you for your honesty, and for enlightening me to the details of our situation. Perhaps being friends on Facebook would be a good way to start our interactions with each other… but as to that nonsense about being you bride, I'm afraid you're quite mistaken. I'm quite fine without a husband – fairy or otherwise. I wouldn't mind getting to know you though… if you like I could take you to get some coffee some time soon and we could… talk._

_Thank-you Tracey…_

_Your friend, Leah_

Leah smiled slightly as she hit send. Amused by her absurdly formal, and civil, approach to the fairies' obtrusion into her life. Her smile quickly turned into a look of confusion when she received a notification that she had been _'poked'_ by none other than _Tracey_.

Glaring, Leah _Poked_ him back, but was instantly poked in return. "Right then, if that's how you want to play it." Leah smirked and began a clicking frenzy as an all out _'Poke-War' _erupted between herself and her new friend _ Tracey… _on Facebook…

_**So, what do you think?**_

_**Any ideas you want me to try out at all?**_

_**Love and cyber cookies to all my lovlies!**_


	6. The 'Un-Date'

Leah looked at her watch for the ninth time that morning. 11:05 and _still_ waiting for Tracey. She'd been at the _La Bien _Café for over two hours now, and was getting irritated. She was about to get up to go pay for her coffee when, seemingly out of nowhere, Tracey just…_appeared_! She jumped slightly, gasping in shock as she gazed up at his six foot seven self, a hand hovering over her heart.

When she finally spoke, her words came out all breathy like a wanton temptress. "I was worried you wouldn't come…"

"I was worried you wouldn't be here…" Tracey said, looking down at her awkwardly.

Leah gestured to the seat across from her and smiled sweetly. "Please, sit…"

"Ah, yeah…thanks…" Tracey smiled back as he took a seat and looked towards the waitress who had obviously seen him come in and had waited patiently to take his order.

"Sir, Madam, what can I get for you today?" the waitress said, bored.

"Oh, yes, um…scone?" he looked at Leah who nodded. "Ah, two scones and two…hot chocolates, please." Tracey answered, even more awkwardly than he had sat.

"Right away, Sir." The waitress replied as she turned and left the two of them alone.

They both looked around and at each other awkwardly, smiling shyly at each other every now and then. But it was Leah that broke the silence first, unable to withstand the awkward silence between them any longer.

"Oh, just to clarify," she said offhand, trying to sound like she didn't care. "This isn't a date."

"Oh. Pfft…of course not!" Tracey smiled, waving his hands around as if to dismiss the matter. "No, this is just…two friends…meeting in a Café…talking…"

Leah smirked. "Not that there was really much talking going on."

Tracey laughed and she laughed along with him. "No, I suppose you're right there… I never was any good at talking to beautiful girls…" he trailed off at the end, looking away embarrassed.

Leah blushed and smiled. "Why, thankyou, Tracey…that's really sweet," she continued to smile at him as he looked back to her. "And so are the hot chocolates that are being brought over _right now_."

"Here you are, Sir, Madam." The bored waitress droned. "Will there be anything else?"

"No, thank you." Leah smiled politely up at the girl who was already walking away.

The waitress tripped and both Leah and Tracey broke out into uncontrollable giggles. Secretly, Leah thought Tracey looked handsome when he laughed.

As they left the Café some time later, Leah and Tracey made arrangements to meet again. Leah turned to bid him farewell, but was surprised by his sweeping her into his arms and kissing her senseless. He deepened the kiss, and Leah's world fell away, there was nothing and no one else. And it felt like that would never change…


	7. Decided

Leah paced back and forth across her living-room, trying to decide the best course of action. She needed to talk to someone who knew what was going on, and there were only two people she knew who could help her. With an irritated sigh, Leah pulled out her mother's wand and drew a summoning ward on her coffee table, praying to all se held dear that this worked correctly and didn't summon that strange little creature – Mem-locke – like the last time she'd tried this.

Finally, in resignation, she spoke the words. "High Fairy Godmother, I summon thee. With the power of the Realm, I summon thee. Appear O Magic One, and relay the knowledge I require…" Leah paused and looked at the photo of her mother, a tear trickling down her cheek as she finished her spell. "Grandmother O Mine…I beseech Thee…"

Leah felt the ground shake slightly beneath her feet and wisps of wind brush by her face. Then came the tinkling sound and the bright glowing of the ward she'd drawn. Then… _nothing._

Leah fell to her knees, her head in her hands, weak and defeated by the spell she'd performed. Another tear rolled down her cheek as she whispered. "_I'm sorry…_"

Warm arms folded around her shoulders and lifted her up onto the couch, cradling her as she cried, and a gentle, loving voice spoke to her. "It's alright, darling… I'm here."

Leah managed a small smile… it had worked…

/

_**Only a short one this time. I realised I hadn't updated in ages and felt you all deserved another tid-bit. I apologise this is taking so long. Bloody uni assessments and exams to study for.**_

_**I promise to update as soon as I can!**_

_**Please, R&R!**_


	8. Comforting Words

Her mother's figure was shrouded in a glowing, gold haze, but she was solid… huggable. The warmth and love she brought with her angelic form was overpoweringly tangible, but more comforting than Leah had had the privilege to feel in years… and she cried. Cried until she could cry no more; held firmly in her mother's warm embrace. Time seemed to stop for a while…everything in the world was good again. Until…

"Leah, sweetheart…" her mother murmured gently. "I can't stay forever."

Leah sat up and wiped her eyes sadly. "I know, Mum," the words formed a lump in her throat that made it nearly impossible to talk through. "I needed your advice…I …I don't know what to do."

Her mother smiled tenderly as she wiped away another tear from her daughters' cheek. "Your grandmother means well, darling. She just has a funny way of showing how much she cares sometimes." Leah looked up when her mother paused. "She is burdened with the knowledge of each persons' soul mate…fairy bride…groom…whatever!" her mother threw her hands up in the air and Leah smiled along with her mother. "It is good to see you smile…you haven't in so long… Tracey is good for you, it seems." Her mother smirked.

Leah shook her head at the floor. "I'm always confused and flustered around him…his _height _is also a little intimidating…"

Her mother laughed. "It never bothered you how tall Derek was! But now you've found someone you love, you're worried about his height!"

Leah smirked at her mother's playful jibe. "Yes, well…"

"Follow your heart, darling, it will always lead you true." Her mother stopped and looked out the window. She sighed sadly. "I must go, my darling…"

"No! You can't! Not yet!" Leah all but yelled.

"Live, and love him, darling…do that for me." She smiled at Leah as she faded into her gold aura. "I love you…"

"Mum!" Leah cried, but she was gone.


End file.
